Panther and the Sloth
by ExodineTheDestroyer
Summary: After being kidnapped by an Arrancar as part of Aizen's latest experiment, Hanataro Yamada is placed under the tutelage of the former 6th Espada, Grimmjow, who is more than happy to push the boy as far as it takes to unleash his violent potential.


_**Panther and the Sloth**_

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own the rights to anything related to the Japanime **_**Bleach**_

**The rights to that Japanime belong to…other people…**

**Note: This is linked to the story "Lethal Hornet, Timid Healer"**

* * *

Grimmjow's jaw dropped when he received the news. His eyes twitched, his breathing became shaky, and the words of argument coming from his mouth were incoherent and stammer filled. He slowly looked over his shoulder at a red-haired Arrancar female who was equally, or maybe even _more_, shocked than he was.

They locked eyes briefly, not saying a word to each other, and then turned their sights on the man sitting in front of them.

They were in silent agreement; _neither_ of them liked this idea _at all_!

"B-but, Lord Aizen," Grimmjow finally managed to get out, "Why the hell do _I_ have to train him? He's April's pet, so why don't you have her train him?"

"He's _not_ my pet, jerk," the red-haired Arrancar growled, receiving a 'whatever' scoff from Grimmjow, "But, I do agree with Grimmjow's suggestion that _I _train him! He is my responsibility after all, and I wouldn't trust Grimmjow with his life even if-"

She abruptly stopped when Aizen raised his hand, his usual smile plastered on his calculating face. He let out a deep sigh, shifting his crossed legs a bit, and looked over at the Soul Reaper boy behind April. His deep brown eyes narrowed on the boy's light blue ones, causing him to shiver and cower, widening Aizen's smile.

"Grimmjow is better suited for this, April," Aizen replied.

"B-but, Lord Aizen, he-"

He raised his hand again, "No 'buts,' April. Grimmjow doesn't share your attachment with that boy behind you, therefore lessening any chance of him holding back too much while training him. If you were to train him, I'm afraid you'd hold back too much of your strength, which would be bad for my experiment."

"But, Lord Aizen, why not have Ulquiorra train him," April pleaded, pointing to the green-eyed man standing a few inches from her, "He doesn't have an attachment to Hanataro either, so why not have him train Hanataro?"

"On the contrary, he'd hold back while training Hanataro because of your attachment to the boy. That makes him a bad option. Besides, Ulquiorra's rather stoic and reserved when it comes to fighting, especially in comparison to Grimmjow."

April looked over at the green-eyed man, receiving a shrug from him.

"Tch, why not get Harribel to do it, huh? She's not doing anything important!"

"Neither are you, my former Espada," Aizen replied, still smiling. Grimmjow's eyes widened with shock and then narrowed on the cold floor beneath him. He glared at the boy hiding behind April, though his view was quickly obstructed by April moving in the way, glaring at _him_ in return.

"Why not just kill the brat, huh? He's just a lowly Soul Reaper, in fact he's a hella weak Soul Reaper! Even from here I can hardly sense his spiritual pressure."

"Like I said, he's part of my experiment and…"

"If you even_ think _abouthurting him, I'll kill you myself, _Grimmjow_," April growled, reaching for her zanpakuto to prove her point.

"And I'm more than sure _my _friend wouldn't like you hurting Hanataro," Aizen sighed, resting his chin comfortably on his fist, "He's very attached to Hanataro as well."

Grimmjow glanced over at Ulquiorra who gave him a shrug. He bit his lip and stared at where his left arm had been, recounting the time he lost it.

"What do _I_ get out of training the brat, huh?"

"You'll get your arm and maybe even your position as the 6th Espada back. Are those enough incentives for you?"

Grimmjow bit his lip again, shifting his attention between April, Ulquiorra, the floor, Hanataro, Ulquiorra, Aizen, the floor, Hanataro, and Aizen before letting out a low growl.

"Yeah, I'll do it…"

"Good," Aizen smiled, clapping, "April, I know you're worried about Hanataro's safety, so I won't prohibit you from watching his training session with Grimmjow. If you believe Grimmjow is going too far, feel free to stop him and give Hanataro a break, but don't overdo it. In fact, Ulquiorra, I would like you to monitor their training session as well, to keep April _and_ Grimmjow in check."

Ulquiorra nodded obediently and looked over at an irritated April, who was busy glaring at Grimmjow.

The former Espada let out an irritated sigh, scratching his light blue hair, "When do we start?"

"Hmmm…preferably now, but you can start tomorrow if you want…"

"Tch, now it is…" Grimmjow grumbled, motioning for the timid healer to follow him. April quickly followed after them with Ulquiorra trailing not too far behind.

"Play nice now," Aizen chuckled before shifting his eyes to the man that stepped out of the Garganta just a few feet before him.

------------------------------

Hanataro nervously looked around at the Arrancars leading him down a flight of barely illuminated stairs. He wanted to ask where they were going, but decided against doing so as he could feel the irritation radiating from Grimmjow's nauseating spiritual pressure.

"Tch, weakling, your steps are awkward, probably because you're getting dizzy, huh," Grimmjow smirked, glancing over his shoulder at the boy, "All this spiritual pressure surrounding you must be getting to your head now, right?"

It turned out that he was right, Hanataro _was_ getting dizzy and probably would have tumbled down the stairwell had he not been holding onto its railing. Yes, he would have tumbled down the stairs, not fallen onto Grimmjow.

He was sure the Arrancar would gladly move out of the way so he could do so.

"Tch, I knew you standing up to that much spiritual pressure from Lord Aizen had to be some kind of fluke. Between you and us, I'm not even releasing a fraction of what he did!"

"Shut up, Grimmjow," April growled, "And stop bullying Hanataro."

"It's a training technique called 'tough love,' April," Grimmjow smirked, laughing, "I'm just toughening him up!"

"I never knew you had such feelings for men, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra stated. Grimmjow paused for a moment, shifting eyes between a stoic Ulquiorra, smirking April, and slightly blushing Hanataro before finally getting what Ulquiorra meant.

"Oh…_oh…__**OH**_," he exclaimed, shooting Ulquiorra and April a glare, "That's not what I meant, you sick freak!"

"I hope not, Grimmjow," April laughed, irritating the Arrancar, "I don't need another rival!"

Grimmjow let out a low growl, angrily focusing on the remaining steps before him. The group came upon a pale white door once arriving at the bottom, which was promptly kicked down by Grimmjow to relieve some of his frustration.

Hanataro shielded his eyes from the light that suddenly poured through as a result, only opening them when he felt something tug on his sleeve. It was Grimmjow, smirking with amusement before dragging Hanataro out into the desert in front of them.

"Grimmjow…" April growled, latching onto Hanataro's hand, "What are you doing?"

"I'm just leading your pet around, that's all," Grimmjow replied, releasing Hanataro. April eyed him suspiciously, but he casually brushed her off before immediately rushing out to the giant red pillar 300 feet in front of the group.

"Pay close attention, kid," Grimmjow exclaimed, reaching for his zanpakuto as he leapt high into the air, "I'm gonna show you how kick ass you _could_ be!"

His zanpakuto shined brightly, and arrogantly, against the pseudo-sun that hung high in the sky, giving the impression that its blade was on fire. The Arrancar's jagged teeth parted from their smile as he let out a confident 'Ha,' bringing his zanpakuto down against the defenseless pillar.

It let out an agonizing scream as Grimmjow sliced it in half, creating a giant cloud of dust as its halves collided against the desert sand. Hanataro watched with amazement as Grimmjow gracefully floated to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust when he landed.

"Heh, that was barely 5% of my power, kid," Grimmjow smirked as he walked over to the group, keeping his eyes locked onto the awestruck Soul Reaper, "Do you wanna be able to do that too, huh?"

Hanataro gave him a reluctant nod, his light blue eyes briefly flashing yellow. Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at this, but brushed it off as a figment of his imagination.

"Good, so first things first," Grimmjow grinned, pointing his zanpakuto at April, "Lose your girlfriend and come over here. Then we can start training."

April growled at Grimmjow, tightly gripping Hanataro's hand, but let go when Ulquiorra gently grasped onto her shoulder. "If you hurt him, you better hope Ulquiorra stops me before I kill you," she mumbled as Hanataro walked over to the blue-haired Arrancar.

"Good boy," Grimmjow laughed, tapping Hanataro's shoulder with the dull part of his zanpakuto. He suddenly grew frighteningly serious in countenance and began to circle Hanataro, scrutinizing his looks.

The boy nervously turned to follow Grimmjow with his eyes, irritating him.

"Stay still," he growled, frightening the boy into submission. Hanataro nervously looked forward, out into the desert, in an attempt to relieve his anxiety, which immediately returned whenever Grimmjow came back into his view.

To solve this problem he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, so he wouldn't see Grimmjow as he passed by again. It worked, at least for awhile.

"Boo!"

The boy's eyes shot open, revealing Grimmjow smirking a few inches from his face, and he let out a yelp as he fell backwards into the warm desert sand. Grimmjow laughed at this, nearly choking on his own joke, and pointed his zanpakuto at the sand covered Soul Reaper.

"Hahaha! You're pathetic, kid! You should _never_ close your eyes on the battlefield like that! Especially if an enemy is circling you like a goddamn hawk," he smirked. April attempted to help Hanataro up, only to find herself staring down the blazing steel of Grimmjow's zanpakuto.

"What did I say before," Grimmjow asked, dead serious. April glared at him, letting out an enraged scoff, but backed away from Hanataro nonetheless. Grimmjow reverted to his earlier smirking countenance, extending his hand to help Hanataro off the ground.

"Th-thank you," Hanataro timidly bowed once he was back on his feet.

"Whatever, just don't get used to that, kid. The next time you mess up like that I'm gonna make ya do 25 pushups, got it?" Hanataro gave him a quick nod, "Good, now I've shown you my zanpakuto, let's see yours."

"O-okay," Hanataro stammered as he reached for his side, slowly unsheathing his weapon. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow eyed the zanpakuto with curiosity. It was shaped like an average katana, but it was hollow, something they had only seen once before.

"Kinda looks like Harribel's, right," Grimmjow mumbled, looking over at Ulquiorra, "Except hers is shorter and wider…"

Ulquiorra nodded at this, never lifting his eyes from the zanpakuto. Grimmjow let out a lazy sigh, sheathing his zanpakuto, and began to stretch his arm. "Alright, so what's it do? Scratch that, just come at me with all you've got and we'll move on from there," Grimmjow yawned, pointing at his bare, scarred chest, "Hit me with your best shot."

Hanataro nervously stared at the Arrancar, his grip on his zanpakuto loosening. He looked over to April for support, who eagerly motioned for him to hit Grimmjow as hard as he could, and then to Ulquiorra who gave him a shrug. Finally, he swallowed that persistent lump in his throat, loosened his tightened stomach, and tightened his sweaty grip on his zanpakuto before charging Grimmjow.

It felt like an eternity, running from point A to B, even though Grimmjow was just a few feet from him. The Arrancar smirked at Hanataro maliciously, his eyes drilling into the boy's fragile skull, giving him a reason to rear march away.

But something wouldn't let him, instead, his grip on his zanpakuto grew tighter and his movements grew faster. Closing his eyes and steadying his breath, Hanataro swung at Grimmjow with every ounce of strength he could muster at the moment.

Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at this, watching with relative curiosity as Hanataro's blade came in contact with the scar Ichigo had given him.

Hanataro opened his eyes to see that Grimmjow's scar was disappearing and Hisagomaru's red gauge was filling. He wanted to let go, to pull away and apologize, but Grimmjow prevented him from doing so.

"Huh, a zanpakuto that heals things? That's all it does," he asked, setting Hanataro free once his scar was completely gone. Hanataro shook his head, causing Grimmjow to smirk, "Okay, then what else does it do?"

"W-well, when Hisagomaru's gauge fills it, um, it transforms into Akeiro Hisagomaru and-"

Hanataro was cut short by Grimmjow throwing a punch that stopped just an inch from his nose. A few seconds passed before his body finally caught up with his mind and he jumped back, falling into the warm sand beneath him again.

"Enough talk, kid! Just show me what the hell that thing can do before I kill you," Grimmjow smirked, scratching his nose. He pointed to his chest again, "See if you can hit me here again, that is, if you're not a chicken!"

Hanataro once again looked at April who gave him an even more eager motion to give Grimmjow his best shot, and Ulquiorra who gave him a shrug. He took a deep breath, and tightly gripped his zanpakuto before charging again.

He swung at Grimmjow's chest, but the Arrancar easily blocked the attack. Not that it mattered; Hisagomaru's gauge would fill nonetheless. Grimmjow eyed the gauge curiously, wondering how it could fill if he wasn't even injured where he was hit.

Hanataro took advantage of his pondering to swing at the Arrancar's chest again, though he was easily intercepted again. "Good job, kid," Grimmjow smirked, pushing Hanataro away, "You saw an opening and took advantage of it! If this was a _real_ fight, you might have survived for another second or two! Emphasis on _might have_!"

Hanataro swung at him again and was intercepted gain. "Almost there," he mumbled, eyeing Hisagomaru's gauge. He twisted his zanpakuto, going for a horizontal slash, but was blocked again. Grimmjow quickly latched onto the zanpakuto, keeping Hanataro from moving, but finally filling the gauge.

"You'll probably need a little room to release whatever trick you've got up your sleeve, won't you, kid," Grimmjow taunted.

Hanataro frowned at this, his eyes flashing yellow, before kicking Grimmjow in the stomach. The Arrancar casually grabbed and twisted Hanataro's foot, releasing his zanpakuto and causing the boy to lose his balance and fall to the desert.

It was a big mistake, something Grimmjow learned five seconds too late.

Hanataro, with his foot still held and twisted by Grimmjow, pushed off of the sand beneath him and twisted his body as he swung his zanpakuto at Grimmjow.

"Fulfill, HisagomAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Before Hanataro could release his Shikai, Grimmjow tossed him high into the air and fired a relatively weak cero at him. The boy panicked as the beam of red light made its way towards him and his Shikai immediately activated, creating a cloud of smoke as it connected with Grimmjow's attack.

A few seconds later, the boy's body slowly drifted out of the cloud, descending to the ground like some awkward fallen angel. April immediately leapt into the air, gracefully catching and descending with the groaning, barely conscious, boy.

"You bastard," she hissed at Grimmjow as she cradled Hanataro, "What the hell did you do that for?! You could have killed him!"

"Sorry…" Grimmjow mumbled, stunning April and Ulquiorra, with the former showing her surprise more. Grimmjow scratched his head, chuckling with slight embarrassment, "The way he swung his zanpakuto while yelling out the name of whatever the hell that attack was kinda reminded me of the Soul Reaper I fought in the Human World, and I acted on reflexes…"

"Oh…well, just be careful next time," April frowned, looking down at Hanataro with worry, "I'm going to take him back to his room now, so you'll have to continue his 'training' tomorrow. Don't bother arguing with me on this either."

"Whatever," Grimmjow mumbled, waving her off, "Take your boyfriend to some secluded place and 'heal' him, you sick little weirdo…"

April blushed at this, stammering as she thought of a rebuttal, but gave up and walked away with Hanataro resting in her arms. Grimmjow let out a loud, long yawn as he took a seat on the sand beneath him. Its warmness was rather comforting, eventually prompting him to lower his back on it and stare up at the blue 'sky' overhead.

Ulquiorra stared at him curiously, rubbing his chin slightly, "You seem upset, Grimmjow. Is there something wrong?"

"Tch, like you care," Grimmjow grumbled, raising his fist to block out the sun, "And no…there's nothing wrong. I'm just a little tired, that's all…"

Ulquiorra nodded, taking a seat next to his 'rival.' Grimmjow glanced over at him then returned his sights to his fist, still raised to block out the sun. Ulquiorra set his sights to the pseudo-sun and sighed. He never could understand why Lord Aizen wanted that annoying ball of light hanging there, as Ulquiorra vastly preferred the moonlight.

"You don't have to stay here, ya know," Grimmjow sighed, sitting up.

"I know…"

"Then leave…"

Ulquiorra cocked an eyebrow at this and casually got up to leave. Grimmjow watched him leave with slight disappointment, sighing, and turned his sights towards the pseudo-sun.

"Why don't you train him," he called out to Ulquiorra, never looking away from the glowing fake.

"Lord Aizen requested that you do it, I am merely here to observe…" Ulquiorra replied before disappearing.

Grimmjow let out another sigh and scratched his head.

------------------------------

A day or so had passed since Grimmjow had begun 'training' Hanataro. It was still more of a one-sided beat down, but Hanataro had greatly improved.

"That's good, the more you keep using that sheath of yours as a primary weapon, the better the advantage you'll have over your enemy," Grimmjow smirked as Hanataro swung his sheath at his chest, hitting his mark.

Grimmjow quickly pushed him away, dashing after him for a light tap to his stomach. Hanataro quickly grabbed the Arrancar's fist, dropping his sheath in the process, and swung his zanpakuto at his throat. Grimmjow flashed a quick grin before catching the blade in his mouth.

He'd never done this before, so it surprised and shocked Hanataro as Grimmjow effortlessly threw him aside. He rolled a few feet before gracefully hopping to his feet and charging at Grimmjow, his eyes flashing yellow.

Grimmjow braced for impact, but was surprised when it didn't come. "Ah, you're getting better kid," Grimmjow smirked as he easily blocked Hanataro's sneak attack from behind, "I still say you should try learning Sonido instead of using that crappy Soul Reaper variant, Flash Walk or Step or whatever it was called!"

He grasped onto Hanataro's zanpakuto and pulled it over his shoulder, bringing the boy with it. He kicked Hanataro's side sending him rolling and making April cringe with anger.

"_Get up HanataBro,_" a voice echoed in his ear. He nodded slightly and pushed himself off the hot desert sand, his palms burning against the handle of his zanpakuto as he tightened his grip on it.

Grimmjow smirked at this and pointed to his chin, "Give it a try, kid!"

Hanataro nodded, a yellow glow filling his eyes as he charged at Grimmjow. He was easily repelled by the Arrancar, being tossed over his shoulder, but managed to fire off a bolt of pale lighting from the tip of his index finger.

Grimmjow let out a surprised yelp as the attack connected with his back. "What the hell was that," he grumbled, rubbing the point of impact, "And why the hell didn't you use it earlier?"

"That's what Soul Reapers call a 'Kido' spell," April exclaimed, smiling, "I believe that was Hado #4: Byakurai."

Grimmjow repeated the name, mumbling, and smirked at Hanataro as a ball of red energy formed in his hand. "Oh, so you've got a few more tricks up your sleeve, huh? Well, let's move onto our next lesson: Countering! Try negating my Cero with one of your Kido spells!"

Before Hanataro could protest, Grimmjow fired the cero, which gave the boy barely enough time to fire off another Byakurai. When the dust cleared from the attacks colliding, Hanataro was laying face first in the desert sand, his groans being muffled.

In a flash, April was by the fallen Soul Reaper's side, "H-Hanataro, would you like to stop training for today and go back to your room or…?"

Hanataro shook his head, raising it and himself from the sand. He awkwardly searched for Hisagomaru, sand still covering his face, but eventually found and pointed it at Grimmjow. He was pointing in the wrong direction, something he realized and corrected when he wiped the sand from his face.

"Heh, you've got guts, kid…" Grimmjow chuckled, slowly becoming serious, "Ya know, there's something I've wanted to ask you. What the hell are you here for? Why the hell are you so into training with me, huh?"

"I came here to get stronger…That's why I'm here…If I stay here I'll get stronger, maybe as strong as Ichigo…" Hanataro mumbled, his hands trembling as they gripped Hisagomaru.

Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at this, a wide smirk appearing.

-------------------------------

A few more days had passed since then. Hanataro had greatly improved, being able to duck and dodge Grimmjow's punches and kicks, but still unable to hit the Arrancar's chest as frequently as he had hoped.

Also, a mutual trust had formed between the group. April, as a result, felt no real need to constantly observe Grimm and Taro's training sessions; but she still didn't trust Grimmjow to be alone with Taro, leaving observing their sessions to Ulquiorra instead.

"Tch, you're still too weak, Hanataro," Grimmjow exclaimed as he blocked another of the boy's attacks, "It's like you're whacking me with feathers or something!"

Hanataro's eyes flashed yellow again and his attacks became more aggressive, "That's better!" Grimmjow had dismissed the yellow flash as being more than just a figment of his imagination. It was a limiter of sorts; the more it appeared in those light blue eyes of Hanataro the more power was released.

And Hanataro wanted power, right?

"So why not try my damned best to bring out that power," Grimmjow thought to himself, laughing as he easily kicked Hanataro away.

And he knew exactly how to bring out that power and, with no April around to regulate him, he decided there was no better time than now to bring it out.

"Tch, you're pathetic," he barked at the healer, grabbing Hisagomaru and tossing it and the boy away. Hanataro awkwardly landed on the hot sand beneath him, a look of confusion on his face. Ulquiorra eyed the blue-haired Arrancar with suspicion as he glared at Hanataro.

"After all the training I've put you through, you're still a goddamn weakling? Ha, I've seen Hollows 3 feet shorter than you with more power!"

Hanataro, taken aback by this insult, barely avoided one of Grimmjow's Balas; his feet awkwardly tripping over each other as he sidestepped the attack. He felt something grab his shoulder and spin him around, revealing an irritated Grimmjow who immediately punched Hanataro in the jaw.

Ulquiorra cringed as he watched the boy's body go flying through the air, landing with a soft 'thud' when it came in contact with the sand again. He shifted slightly, as if about to go and see if the boy was okay, only to receive a 'stay back' glare from Grimmjow.

"I know what I'm doing, Ulquiorra," he frowned, his eyes on the cloud of sand surrounding Hanataro, "You saw those eyes too, right?"

Ulquiorra nodded, scratching his chin slightly.

"Well, then I guess you've already realized just how strong he gets when those puppy dog eyes of his flash a bright, wolf-like, yellow, right?"

Ulquiorra nodded again, seeing where Grimmjow was going with this.

"Don't overdo it, Grimmjow…I don't think I could stop April if you did…"

The blue-haired Arrancar smiled at this and reached for his zanpakuto, something that made Ulquiorra cringe again.

Hanataro let out a series of semi-violent coughs and pained groans as he lifted himself from the desert sand, driving Hisagomaru into the sand as a sort of crutch he could support himself with.

He tiredly blocked Grimmjow's zanpakuto; the force of the blades colliding sent him flying again, though he managed to make a somewhat graceful landing this time. Grimmjow laughed at this, throwing a few more insults Hanataro's way, before firing a weak Cero at him.

This time, Hanataro couldn't cast any Kido spell fast enough, resulting in him being thrown back by the attack. Grimmjow sighed at this, sheathing his zanpakuto and shaking his head, before casually approaching the fallen boy. He watched for awhile as Hanataro's tiny chest moved up and down from the deep breaths he was taking in.

"You really are pathetic, Hanataro," Grimmjow maliciously smirked, kneeling down as to get a closer look at the boy's face, "I don't know what April sees in a weakling like you…does she see some sort of hidden potential or something? Ha, I doubt it! In fact, the fact that you're weak is probably the exact reason why she's so attached to you! It's like a role reversal: you're the defenseless broad and she's your goddamn knight in shining armor!"

Hanataro didn't say anything, but his deep breathing abruptly stopped and his fists tightened.

"If I had my way you'd be dead by now! Sloths like you _always_ fall prey to Panthers like me, kid. And you know that kid, Ichigo, I fought him! In fact, he even told me he was stronger than you, he gloated about that fact! He even told me how much of a loser you really are and how you always trailed behind him like an annoying little dame-"

"Take that back," Hanataro growled, eyes glowing yellow with rage and narrowing on Grimmjow, "Ichigo would _never_ say that about me!"

"The truth hurts, doesn't it…_loooooosssseeeerrrr-_"

Grimmjow was cut short by Hanataro's fist colliding with his jaw, causing him to nearly topple over as he awkwardly regained a standing position. He stared at the boy, the very _angry_ boy, with surprise as he rubbed his chin.

"That actually kinda hurt," he mumbled, noticing the slight amount of blood on Hanataro's knuckles.

"_Take it __**back**_," Hanataro growled, his voice dark and laced with malicious intent.

"Make me," Grimmjow smirked, barely avoiding an aerial axe kick from the boy. He was surprised, to say the least, more so because the boy had topped Grimmjow's training speed and then some, allowing him to easily catch Grimmjow in the back with a well placed roundhouse kick that sent the former Espada flying.

Ulquiorra watched with a foreign level of awe as Hanataro unloaded on Grimmjow, having abandoned Hisagomaru on the hot desert sand in favor of his fists. The blue-haired Arrancar was noticeably having a more difficult time blocking the now faster Hanataro, his only having one arm being exploited greatly by the deranged healer.

He increased his speed slightly, just fast enough so he could catch Hanataro's jaw with a quick jab that sent the healer flying a few feet. "Damn it," Grimmjow muttered as he shook his pained hand, fragments of what appeared to be bone falling from it. He wondered if they were from him, but dismissed the idea once he caught a look at the bone white chin guard Hanataro was now wearing.

It cracked away, falling to the desert sand, causing Grimmjow to cock his eyebrow in confusion.

The two combatants glared at each other for a good 30 seconds, with Grimmjow slowly charging a Cero behind his back and Hanataro readying himself for the mad-dash he was about to make.

"_Take it __**back**_," Hanataro growled, charging at Grimmjow with glowing yellow irises and pitch black sclera. Grimmjow smirked at this and, once the deranged boy was close enough, fired the devastating Cero.

"That oughta keep you quiet, kid," Grimmjow smirked, though it was extremely short lived. His eyes widened when he felt something hot poke his back, getting hotter and bigger as his Cero wave continued. He reluctantly looked over his shoulder to see that it was Hanataro, chanting something while charging a Byakurai, staring at him with those evil eyes of his.

Grimmjow howled in pain as Hanataro released the attack, sending him flying across the desert. After quickly running to retrieve Hisagomaru, Hanataro madly chased after the flying Arrancar before finally catching up to him and releasing a flurry of attacks.

Grimmjow stood his ground, raising his spiritual pressure to lessen the damage and was helped by Hisagomaru to an extent. Even though it was a healing weapon and was, well, healing his wounds, the fury and frequency with which Hanataro hit Grimmjow with the blade left a numbing pain where his injuries had been.

"_Now, __**Fulfill, Hisag-**_"

Grimmjow was surprised to see Ulquiorra quickly restrain Hanataro, who struggled furiously until the Espada gently struck him on the head (well, as gently as Ulquiorra could muster), knocking him out. Hanataro dropped Hisagomaru, now in its scalpel form, and Grimmjow immediately picked it up, staring at its full gauge.

"Are you satisfied now, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra stoically asked, receiving a slight nod from the Arrancar.

"April's gonna be pissed when she…" Grimmjow paused and stared at a now maniacally laughing Hanataro.

"_**Die**_," he laughed, quickly raising and swiping his arm at Grimmjow, "_**Fulfill, Akeiro Hisagomaru**_."

Grimmjow quickly glanced down at the scalpel in his hand, realizing too late that its gauge was empty and that the attack was coming from Hanataro himself.

When the dust cleared, Grimmjow found a scar on his chest similar, in fact identical, to the one Ichigo had given him. He stared at Ulquiorra and then the boy he had dropped onto the sand beneath them.

"He's sleeping now," Ulquiorra stated, kneeling down by Hanataro's side, "…I suppose all the energy he was releasing finally got to him…"

"_**Grimmjow!**_"

Before the Arrancar could answer, he found a familiar looking zanpakuto being held at his neck by a familiar looking girl.

"What the _**hell**_ did you do to Hanataro," April angrily asked, pressing her zanpakuto harder against the Arrancar's throat.

"Tch, well, we were training and he went berserk, so…"

"_Why_ did he go berserk? Did you do something to him?!"

Grimmjow stammered, looking over to Ulquiorra for support. The Espada merely shrugged and cleared his throat.

"Apparently, Grimmjow hit a nerve with the boy that sent him into a power enriched rage. I had to sedate him, lest he further injure his hands trying to break Grimmjow in half," Ulquiorra sighed, pointing to Hanataro's bloodied hands.

April let out a horrified gasp as she took full note of Hanataro's condition and she quickly rushed over to his side, cradling him in her arms. She shot Grimmjow a killer glare as she lifted the unconscious boy from the sand, "How could you? Lord Aizen said to _train_ him, not bully him to the point where he feels like he needs to break your face…though for _you_ that would be an improvement!"

"Tch, you think you're so clever, huh," Grimmjow scoffed, scratching his stomach, "Hell, at least _I_ was able to draw out the kid's power! If not for me, he'd still be the same timid weakling we saw a few days ago! Now, he's a goddamn mini Panther!"

April smirked at this and gave Grimmjow a 'whatever' sigh before walking away with the boy still cradled in her arms. Grimmjow stared at the girl with confusion and then at an equally confused Ulquiorra.

"H-hey, aren't you angry," he called out to April, foolishly looking a gift horse in the mouth.

"Of course I'm angry, in fact I'm so pissed off I had a hard time trying _not_ to stab that pitch black heart of yours," April smiled as she looked over her shoulder at the two Arrancars. She turned her attention back to a sleeping Hanataro, giggling slightly as she watched his chest rise and fall.

"Right now, my little 'Panther' needs some rest…I'll kill you later, _**Grimmjow**_…"

Even Ulquiorra was intimidated by the dark tone of the cheerful redhead's voice.


End file.
